Emulsifying and deaerating apparatus for sausage batter and the like

ABSTRACT

Apparatus for deaerating sausage batter and the like either alone or in combination with emulsifying treatment of the product where means is provided for centrifugally separating and removing unwanted foreign objects from the sausage batter incident to the deaeration thereof. An emulsifier assembly for deaerating apparatus having a rotatable sleeve including radially inwardly extending impeller vanes for rapidly imparting rotation to the batter and feeding it through the emulsifier. A rotating attenuator receives the batter ejected from the emulsifier and centrifugally thins out the batter for contact with the vacuum atmosphere. Deaerating apparatus having a piston-type discharge pump at the lower end of the machine which alternately reciprocates with a sliding valve arrangement so that material is pumped out of the vacuum chamber in a positive, continuous manner. A feedhopper arrangement having a discharge outlet at its lower end with means for elevating the hopper to the feed position, connecting the discharge outlet to the machine inlet and control means for starting and stopping the drive motor for the emulsifier associated with the feeding of the material from the hopper.

United States Patent [72] Inventor AlvinW.Hughes Bensenville,lll. 211AppLNo. 759,432 [22] Filed Sept.l2, 1968 [45] Patented Apr. 20, 1971[73] Assignee A. W. HughesCompany, lnc.

Addison,lll.

[54] EMULSIFYING AND DEAERATING APPARATUS FOR SAUSAGE BATTER AND THELIKE 9 Claims, 6 Drawing Figs.

[52] U.S.Cl 146/192, 233/13, 241/186, 259/44, 99/272 [51] lnt.Cl B02c18/00 [50] FieldofSearch ..233/(lnquired), l3;259/7,8,43,44, 164;146/192; 99/272,273;241/186 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS2,003,621 6/1935 Andersson 233/13 3,334,674 8/1967 Hughes 146/1923,464,343 9/1969 Nedekind etal 99/272 3,189,286 6/1965 O'Connor 241/186FORElGN PATENTS 869,184 10/1941 France Primary Examiner-Willie G.Abercrombie Att0rneyW0lfe, Hubbard, Leydig, Voit and Osann ABSTRACT:Apparatus for deaerating sausage batter and the like either alone or incombination with emulsifying treatment of the product where means isprovided for centrifugally separating and removing unwanted foreignobjects from the sausage batter incident to the deaeration thereof. Anemulsifier assembly for deaerating apparatus having a rotatable sleeveincluding radially inwardly extending impeller vanes for rapidlyimparting rotation to the batter and feeding it through the emulsifier.A rotating attenuator receives the batter ejected from the emulsifierand centrifugally thins out the batter for contact with the vacuumatmosphere.

Deaerating apparatus having a piston-type discharge pump at the lowerend of the machine which alternately reciprocates with a sliding valvearrangement so that material is pumped out of the vacuum chamber in apositive, continuous manner. A'feedhopper arrangement having a dischargeoutlet at its lower end with means for elevating the hopper to the feedposition, connecting the discharge outlet to the machine inlet andcontrol means for starting and stopping the drive motor for theemulsifier associated with the feeding of the material from the hopper.

PATENTED mm m:

SHEET 3 OF 3 EMULSHIFYIING AND DEAERATING APPARATUS FOR SAUSAGE BATTERAND THE LIKE The present invention relates generally to deaeratingapparatus and, more particularly, to an improved deaerating apparatusfor sausage batter and the like. In its principal aspect, the inventionis concerned with improved apparatus for deaerating sausage batter andthe like either alone or in combination with emulsifying treatment ofthe batter, yet wherein unwanted materials present in the batter areseparated and removed incident to such treatment of the product.

For a number of years there has been a persistent and increasing demandfor improving the preparation of sausage batter emulsions throughout thevarious steps from chopping operations to stuffing the finished productinto casings or other packages. The advent of deaerating and emulsifyingequipment as described and claimed, for example, in U.S. Pat. No.3,334,674, issued Aug. 8, I967 to Alvin W. Hughes enables sausagemanufacturers to produce a product which is very stable, substantiallyfree from entrained air pockets and higher density than previouslyaccomplished. As a consequence, there arose a need for still furtherimproved handling of the sausage material with such deaerating and/oremulsifying machines to derive maximum benefits and advantages of theequipment. In addition, the presence of foreign objects, ferrous ornonferrous, such as tag wires, box staples, bone fragments and the likein processed meat products is an ever present problem to the meatindustry. Magnetic separators have been utilized in conjunction withmeat processing equipment, however, they are not useful for removingnonferrous objects which often find their way into the processed meatproducts. Thus, prior devices have not provided a completelysatisfactory solution to the problems faced by manufacturers ofprocessed meat products such as sausage and the like.

Accordingly, it is the general aim of the present invention to provideimproved apparatus for deaerating sausage batter and the likecharacterized by its ability to produce more satisfactory finishedproduct with even greater density than heretofore possible and yetwithout sacrifice to the economy of operating the equipment.

It is a related object of the invention to provide improved deaeratingapparatus either alone or in combination with an emulsifier wherein alarge quantity of sausage batter can be introduced into the machine in asubstantially continuous manner and where positive removal of thefinished product is accomplished without interruption of the flow of thematerial into the machine. In this connection there is an object toprovide a simple deaerating apparatus which is particularly suitable foruse in mass production manufacturing operations.

It is a further object of the invention to provide improved deaeratingapparatus for sausage batter and the like which pennits ease andrapidity of loading of the material into the machine as well as rapidityof removal of the finished product from the machine.

In another of its important aspects it is an object of the invention toprovide improved deaerating apparatus for sausage batter and the likeeither alone or in combination with an emulsifier wherein foreignobjects present in the product, whether ferrous or nonferrous arecentrifugally separated and removed from product flowing through themachine.

It is a more specific object of the invention to provide improveddeaerating and emulsifying apparatus for sausage batter and the likewherein the batter is moved through the emulsifier in a more rapidmanner without increasing the heat input or power requirement of theemulsifier and with a consequential production of a more dense and morestable finished product.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent as thefollowing description proceeds, taken in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. l is an elevational view of an exemplary embodiment of anemulsifying and deaerating apparatus incorporating the features of thepresent invention and with portions shown broken away to reveal theinternal construction. This view also shows the orientation of thefeedhopper in an elevated position ready for feed of material into themachine;

FIG. 2 is a section taken along the line 2-2 in FIG. 1 and illustratingthe path of flow of the material through the emulsifier;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line 3-3 in FIG. 2 withvarious parts broken away at different levels;

FIG. 4 is an elevational view of an exemplary modified deaeratingapparatus also embodying the features of the present invention, heredepicting an alternative embodiment of the centrifugal separating traparrangement;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of the attenuator illustrated in FIG. I, and;

FIG. 6 is a top view of the attenuator of FIG. 5.

While the invention is susceptible of various modifications andalternative forms, specific embodiments thereof have been shown by wayof example in the drawings and will herein be described in detail. Itcould be understood, however, that it is not intended to limit theinvention to the particular forms disclosed, but, on the contrary, theinvention is to cover all modifications, equivalents and alternativesfalling within the spirit and scope of the invention as expressed in theappended claims.

Referring now to the drawings, and particularly to FIG. 1, there isillustrated an exemplary deaerating apparatus, generally indicated at10, particularly suited for deaerating and emulsifying sausage batter.In accordance with the present invention, as best shown in FIG. 1, theexemplary deaerating apparatus 10 includes a body ill in the shape of aninverted cone joined to a cylindrical section 12. A cover 14 enclosesthe chamber thus formed. A suitable gasket or O-ring may be provided toeffect a seal between the body and cover.

The body is supported in the present instance on a set of vertical legs18 made of angle iron or the like and which may be four in number,equally spaced about the periphery.

For the purpose of admitting batter from a source, a batter inletconduit 20 is provided which has interposed therein a fluid-operatedsolenoid-controlled inlet valve 22 that includes a vacuum-controlledswitch. In order to evacuate the chamber and provide the required degreeof vacuum, a source of vacuum 25 is provided connected to the chamberthrough a fitting 26 having interposed therein an inlet valve 28. Itshould be understood that the term, source of vacuum is simply used forthe sake of convenience and such source may, for example, be a vacuumpump capable within a short space of time of drawing a vacuum within thechamber of the order of 26 inches of mercury.

' In carrying out the present invention, provision is made for loadingthe deaerating apparatus 10 utilizing a portable feedhopper 45 having adischarge conduit 47 adjacent the bottom of the hopper, the latter beingautomatically elevated to a feed position above the deaerating apparatus10. Thus, as shown in FIG. 1, the feedhopper 45 is defined by aninverted cone-shaped receptacle 48 having an opening 49 at its lower endconnected to the generally horizontally extending discharge conduit 47.The receptacle 48 is carried by a frame 50 mounted upon wheels 51.

For the purpose of elevating the hopper 45 to the feed position there isprovided a pair of arms 53 (only one being shown) having ends 54pivotally mounted to adjacent legs 18 of apparatus 10. Actuator 55 isprovided attached to a cross bar 539 at pivot point 56 and suitablyanchored to apparatus 10 at pivot point 57. In order to attach thehopper 45 to the arms 53 to elevate the hopper, there is providedsuitable recesses 59 adjacent the free ends of arms 53 which receivepins or lugs 60 (only one being shown) disposed on opposite sides of thehopper and protruding radially outward therefrom.

For the purpose of effecting a proper connection between dischargeconduit 47 of the hopper and inlet conduit 20 on the deaeratingapparatus 10, there is provided an axially shiftable sleeve 62 which ispreferably in the form of a piece of Tygon tubing or the like. Thesleeve 62 which is preferably carried by the inlet conduit 20, is simplyshifted to bridge conduits 47 and 20 when they are brought intoalignment.

Mounted at the top of the deaerating apparatus is an emulsifierassembly, generally indicated at 65, driven through shaft 66 by means ofpulleys 67, 68 and beltings 69 rotated by motor 70. Motor 70, may forexample, be a 50 hp. high-torque motor operating at about 1,800 rpm.

As best shown in FIG. 2, the emulsifying assembly 65 includes alternaterotatable and nonrotatable perforate rings horizontally disposed aboutshaft 66 within the deaerating apparatus chamber, with the shaft 66projecting upwardly beyond the cover 14. The shaft 66 is surrounded by acasing 58 having suitable bearings 70, 71 and seals 72 interposedbetween the shaft 66 and casing 68.

In order to direct incoming batter towards the center of the emulsifyingassembly 65, the casing 58 is provided with an inlet opening 73 whichreceives inlet conduit to communicate with an axial space 74 about shaft66 and below seals 72, 720 which prevent loss of batter upwardly throughbearings 70, 71. In carrying out the present invention, provision ismade for rapidly imparting rotational motion to incoming batter therebyfacilitating and increasing the through feed of the batter in theemulsifier. To this end, rotatable sleeve 76 having a plurality ofradially inwardly extending vanes 77 disposed about the shaft 66 and inthe path of incoming batter from entry space 74 sets the batter intorotation and urges the batter downwardly and outwardly of the center ofthe assembly. Referring to FIG. 2 and 3, conjointly, the emulsifyingassembly 65 is provided with a drive ring 80 secured adjacent to thelower end of shaft 66 with the drive ring 80 having an annulardepression 81 formed on the upper surface thereof. Cutter bars 83, therebeing four in number, are seated in the recess 81 of drive ring 80 andsecured thereto by machine screws 84 and thus dividing the drive ringinto quadrants. Upstanding guide pins 85 pass through the drive rings 80and cutter bars 83.

The emulsifier arrangement 65 is similar in general function and modeoperation to the emulsifier disclosed and claimed in U.S. Pat. No.3,334,674 issued to Alvin W. Hughes and entitled Combination Emulsifyingand Deaerating Machine for Sausage Batter and the Like." However, therotatable sleeve 76 and drive ring 80 previously discussed in connectionwith the present invention are not found in the aforementioned U.S. Pat.No. 3,334,674 structure.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a nonrotatable primary sizing ring 88 isdisposed directly above the drive ring 80 and is provided with radialslots that engage projections or ears 89 suitably attached to the cover14 as by bolts 90. A ring spacer 91 which is slightly thicker thansizing ring 88 is secured to guide pins 85 to maintain accurate spacingbetween the cutter bars 83 and next rotatable perforate transfer ring 92which is disposed above the nonrotatable primary sizing ring 88. A ringspacer 95 which is slightly thicker than sizing ring 93 is secured toguide pins 85 to maintain accurate spacing between the rotatabletransfer ring and a rotatable radially slotted discharge ring 96 whichis secured to the guide pins 85 with the whole assembly held in place bynuts 98 attached to the threaded ends of the guide pins 85.

In carrying out another of the important aspects of the presentinvention, there is provided, centrifugal trapping means associated withdrive ring 80 of the present emulsifier 65 so that unwanted foreignobjects whether ferrous or nonferrous, which may be present in thebatter are separated and removed incident to the combined action oftheemulsifier and subjection to the vacuum atmosphere for deaeration of thebatter. To this end, drive ring 80 includes an annular recess or pocket100 adjacent its periphery and defined by the end wall having anupstanding portion 101 and inwardly sloping portion 102. The arrangementis such that the end wall of drive ring 80 defining the pocket 100 is ofa greater diameter than the primary sizing ring and foreign objects suchas tag wire, staples, pieces of bone and the like having a greaterdensity than that of the batter are removed and centrifugally heldagainst the inside of the end wall of pocket 100. The thus separateddebris may be removed by scraping the outer wall of pocket when theemulsifier assembly 65 is disassembled for cleaning, usually done at theend of a day's use in the sausage making industry.

It may be readily appreciated that when in operation, sausage materialis fed upwardly by drive ring 80 through the primary sizing ring 88transfer ring 92, secondary sizing ring 93, and finally throughdischarge ring 96 which centrifugally hurls the material outwardlyagainst the inner wall of a rotating attenuator 104 (FIGS. 1, 5 and 6).The attenuator 104 is made up of a generally frustoconical-shaped sleevewith a horizontally disposed polygonal-shaped plate 105 attached to theinner wall of the sleeve intermediate the ends thereof. The plate 105 isprovided with a central opening 106 which receives drive shaft 66 of theemulsifier and is secured to the latter for rotation therewith by a nut107. Elongated openings 108 between the sleeve and plate 105 permitbatter to flow downwardly along the inside wall of the sleeve andsubsequently the batter is ejected centrifugally outward from the lowerperipheral edge of the attenuator 104. Thus, batter flowing outward fromthe peripheral edge of the attenuator is thinned down sufficiently sothat contact with the vacuum atmosphere on both sides enablessubstantially complete removal of any air which is entrained within thebatter. I have found that with the use of the attenuator 104 to redirectthe flow of batter emerging from the cutting rings, the density of thefinal product is increased beyond that obtainable without the use of theattenuator. After the deaerated batter gravitates downwardly, it buildsup at the bottom of the deaerating apparatus body 11.

In carrying out another important aspect of the present invention,provision is made for continuously removing the deaerated batter withoutdisrupting the inflow of product through the apparatus or removing theapplied vacuum. To this end, referring to FIG. 1, there is provided afluid operated sliding valve 110 operated by fluid cylinder 11] whichreciprocatingly opens and closes the opening at the bottom of thedeaerating apparatus body portion 11.

Disposed beneath the sliding valve 110 is a piston-type discharge pump112 having its inlet 113 coupled to a suitable fitting provided at theopening in the bottom of body portion 11 such that with the slidingvalve 110 open, batter may fall into the cavity 114 of discharge pump112. In order to positively remove batter from the pump cavity 114,there is provided a double-acting reciprocating piston 116 which isoperated by a fluid cylinder 118 actuated by a four-way pilot bleedvalve 119 coupled to a suitable source of pressurized fluid (not shown)in a conventional manner well known to those skilled in the art. Thus,when the right-hand end of cylinder 118 as viewed in FIG. 1 is coupledto the source of pressurized fluid, the piston 116 is shifted axially tothe left. Conversely when the left-hand end of the cylinder 118 iscoupled to the source of pressurized fluid and the right-hand end iscoupled to a suitable bleed line, the piston 116 is shifted axiallytowards the right as viewed in FIG. 1. The sliding valve fluid cylinder111 is suitably coupled to the four-way pilot valve 119 so that thevalve 110 closes, then piston 116 is moved to the left, valve 110 opensand then piston 116 moves to the right as viewed in FIG. 1. At thedischarge end of the pump 112 there is provided a self-actuatingdischarge valve 120 which seals the pump outlet opening when the piston116 is retracted to that there is no loss of vacuum in the deaerationapparatus. An outlet conduit 121 connected to the pump 112 outlet by aquick clamp connector 122 is provided which may be connected to anysuitable source of batter utilization such for example as a stuffingmachine or the like.

In order to more fully understand the mode of operation of the exemplarydeaerating apparatus, reference is now made to FIG. 1 wherein theapparatus is shown in the start position in readiness for operation.Prior to initiation of the deaerating operation, it will be assumed thatthe elevating arms 53 are in conduit 20 of the deaerating machine. Thesleeve 62 is slid tov the left as viewed in FIG. 1 bridging therespective conduits 47, 20. At this point the valve 28 for source ofvacuum 25 is opened to pull the desired vacuum in the chamber. Valve 22in the inlet conduit 20 includes a vacuum-controlled switch connected tothe power source into motor 70 so that the motor cannot start until apredetermined vacuum is reached in the chamber. In addition, thevacuum-controlled switch functions to shut off the motor 70 if thepredetermined vacuum is broken. When the proper degree of vacuum isreached, valve 22 is opened and. motor 70 starts the emulsifier 65, andbatter entering through inlet conduit 20 goes through the emulsifierassembly, as previously described. Upon leaving the emulsifier thebatter is slung against the inner wall of attenuator 104 where it flowsdownwardly and is then centrifugally thrown outwardly by the attenuator.The batter then falls down to the bottom-of the chamber 1] where itcollects. Once the batter has begun to collect at the bottom of chamber11, the reciprocating valve 110 and discharge pump 16 are operated aspreviously described to eject the now deaerated batter out throughoutlet conduit 121.

Referring now to FIG. 4, a modified form of deaerating apparatusgenerally indicated at A has been depicted. In this instance theapparatus 10A, while including a body A in the shape of an inverted conejoined to a cylindrical section 12A, a cover 14A enclosing the chamberthus formed and inlet casing 58A with inlet conduit A which surroundsthe drive shaft 66A, all similar to that shown in FIG. 1, does notinclude the emulsifying apparatus. Thus, as seen in FIG. 4, attached tothe end of shaft 66A is a centrifugal'separating trap member 130 definedby a generally dish-shaped wall 132 with its upper peripheral edge 133extending radially inward toward shaft 66A forming a recess of pocket100A. A plurality of vertically extending vanes 134 attached on theinside of trap 130 about shaft 66A serve to rapidly impart rotationalmotion to the batter flowing onto the trap member 130. The batterentering from conduit 20A falls onto the trap member, builds up in thetrap member 130, moves centrifugally outward and flows over the inwardlyextending peripheral edge 133 thinned out for exposure to the vacuumatmosphere. Any debris which might be present'in the batter such as tagwires, staples, bone fragments and the like are caused to move intopocket 100A where they remain until'scraped out during cleaning.

3. Apparatus as defined in claim 1, including a plurality of spacedalternating rotatable and nonrotatable rings disposed about said shaftabove said trap member, said rotatable and nonrotatable rings havingperforations therein for cutting batter fed therethrough into finerpieces and the uppermost one of said rotatable rings having means forcentrrfugally discharging the batter therefrom.

' upper end, a pluralityof spaced alternating rotatable and conduitextending into said chamber upper end portion, a

rotatable drive shaft projecting into said chamber upper end portion,means' for pulling a vacuum in said chamber, a centrifugal trap memberdisposed about said shaft for rotation therewith and adapted to receivebatter flowing into said chamber from the inlet conduit, saidtrap memberincluding an end wall tenninating in an inwardly sloping end portiondefining a pocket at the outer periphery so that unwanted materialspresent in the batter are centrifugally separated and retained in saidpocket while the batter flows out of said trap member whereby entrainedair is removed by the vacuum in saidchamber.

2. Apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein said trap member includes aplurality of vertically extending vanes for rapidly imparting rotationalmotion to batter flowing onto the trap member.

4. Apparatus as claimed in claim 3, including an attenuator rotatablewith said shaft, said attenuator comprising a frustoconical-shapedsleeve member disposed about said rotatable and nonrotatable rings, apolygonal-shaped plate member attached to said sleeve memberintermediate its ends, said plate member being connected to said shaftand means defining a plurality of openings between said plate member andsaid sleeve member whereby batter flowing from said discharge ringcontacts said sleeve member, flows downwardly and moves outwardly fromthe-periphery of said sleeve for acting upon by the vacuum in saidchamber.

5. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 including means defining a dischargeopening at the bottom of said chamber, said discharge opening meansbeing connected to alternately reciprocating valve means and pistondischarge pump means and fluid-operated control means for operating saidvalve and said pump to remove collected batterfrom said chamber.

6. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 including a hopper for carryingbatter to be fed to said apparatus, said hopper having a dischargeconduit at its lower end, means associated with said apparatus forelevating said hopper above the chamber and means for connecting saidhopper discharge conduit to said chamber inlet conduit when the hopperis in the elevated feed position.

7. An apparatus for emulsifying and deaerating sausage batter or thelike, comprising in combination, an enclosed vacuum chamber having upperand lower portions, inlet conduit means extending into said upper endportion of the chamber, means for pulling vacuum in said chamber, andemulsifier at the upper end of said chamber comprising a rotatablydriven shaft means projecting into said projecting nonrotatableperforated rings disposed about said shaft and radially spacedtherefrom, rotatable feed means disposed between said shaft and saidrotatable and nonrotatable rings for imparting rotation to batterentering from said inlet conduit and moving said batter radiallyoutward, a drivering connected to said shaft beneath the lowermost oneof said rotatable and nonrotatable rings, said driverings havingmeansfor feeding the batter axially through the perforations in saidrotatable and nonrotatable rings whereby saidbatter is cut into finepieces, means associated with the uppermost one of said rotatable ringsfor centrifugally discharging the batter therefrom, and a rotatableattenuator disposed about said emulsifier assembly for receiving thebatter flowing from said discharge ring whereby said batter flowsdownwardly and moves outwardly from the periphery of said attenuator foracting upon by the vacuum in said chamber.

8. Apparatus as defined in claim 7 wherein said rotatable feed meansincludes a sleeve having a plurality of radially .inwardly extendingvanesdisposed about said shaft and in the path of incoming batter.

9. Apparatus as claimed in claim 7 wherein said attenuator comprises afrustoconical-shaped sleeve member and a polygonal-shaped platev memberattached to said sleeve

2. Apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein said trap member includes aplurality of vertically extending vanes for rapidly imparting rotationalmotion to batter flowing onto the trap member.
 3. Apparatus as definedin claim 1, including a plurality of spaced alternating rotatable andnonrotatable rings disposed about said shaft above said trap member,said rotatable and nonrotatable rings having perforations therein forcutting batter fed therethrough into finer pieces and the uppermost oneof said rotatable rings having means for centrifugally discharging thebatter therefrom.
 4. Apparatus as claimed in claim 3, including anattenuator rotatable with said shaft, said attenuator comprising afrustoconical-shaped sleeve member disposed about said rotatable andnonrotatable rings, a polygonal-shaped plate member attached to saidsleeve member intermediate its ends, said plate member being connectedto said shaft and means defining a plurality of openings between saidplate member and said sleeve member whereby batter flowing from saiddischarge ring contacts said sleeve member, flows downwardly and movesoutwardly from the periphery of said sleeve for acting upon by thevacuum in said chamber.
 5. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 includingmeans defining a discharge opening at the bottom of said chamber, saiddischarge opening means being connected to alternately reciprocatingvalve means and piston discharge pump means and fluid-operated controlmeans for operating said valve and said pump to remove collected batterfrom said chamber.
 6. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 including A hopperfor carrying batter to be fed to said apparatus, said hopper having adischarge conduit at its lower end, means associated with said apparatusfor elevating said hopper above the chamber and means for connectingsaid hopper discharge conduit to said chamber inlet conduit when thehopper is in the elevated feed position.
 7. An apparatus for emulsifyingand deaerating sausage batter or the like, comprising in combination, anenclosed vacuum chamber having upper and lower portions, inlet conduitmeans extending into said upper end portion of the chamber, means forpulling vacuum in said chamber, and emulsifier at the upper end of saidchamber comprising a rotatably driven shaft means projecting into saidprojecting upper end, a plurality of spaced alternating rotatable andnonrotatable perforated rings disposed about said shaft and radiallyspaced therefrom, rotatable feed means disposed between said shaft andsaid rotatable and nonrotatable rings for imparting rotation to batterentering from said inlet conduit and moving said batter radiallyoutward, a drive ring connected to said shaft beneath the lowermost oneof said rotatable and nonrotatable rings, said drive rings having meansfor feeding the batter axially through the perforations in saidrotatable and nonrotatable rings whereby said batter is cut into finepieces, means associated with the uppermost one of said rotatable ringsfor centrifugally discharging the batter therefrom, and a rotatableattenuator disposed about said emulsifier assembly for receiving thebatter flowing from said discharge ring whereby said batter flowsdownwardly and moves outwardly from the periphery of said attenuator foracting upon by the vacuum in said chamber.
 8. Apparatus as defined inclaim 7 wherein said rotatable feed means includes a sleeve having aplurality of radially inwardly extending vanes disposed about said shaftand in the path of incoming batter.
 9. Apparatus as claimed in claim 7wherein said attenuator comprises a frustoconical-shaped sleeve memberand a polygonal-shaped plate member attached to said sleeve intermediateits end, said plate member being connected to said shaft and meansdefining a plurality of openings between said plate member and saidsleeve so that batter flows downwardly along said sleeve and movesoutwardly from the periphery thereof.